Londoners fear the decision to ditch a scheme that pays for 339 community police officers could mean they are less safe on the streets.

The Metropolitan Police is proposing to cut its so-called 'buy-one-get-one-free' scheme where councils buy a number of free officers and then get the same number for free.

The Met Patrol Plus Scheme review comes as police grapple with a soaring murder rate in the capital and resourcing pressures.

Kate Howells, who has lived in nearby Shepherd's Bush for 27 years, worries the scheme ending, alongside a coming shake-up of London's borough police command system, could leave locals with even fewer officers.

Read More

She said she had watched CCTV footage of a neighbour's bicycle being stolen, claiming police did not investigate as they appeared too stretched.

"The police won't investigate it because it's not a violent crime, but I think the police should be for more than just violent crime. Once people can get away with stuff like that they'll think they can get away with worse without the police investigating."

Kate Howells has lived in Shepherds Bush for 27 years and fears what the decision could mean (Image: Copyright Unknown)

She also felt increasingly concerned about her 19-year-old son going out locally, after she learned another teen had been beaten by strangers recently.

Ms Howells added that she appreciated local policing, saying two community officers frequently updated residents in their online forum, and some had recently taken out a group on a knife search around a housing estate.

"I think it was for us to see what they could do and it was also to send a message to the gang members: 'it's not just the police after you, there's members of the local community taking part'," she said.

White City resident, Verity Evanson, said taking away local police was not what residents wanted, adding officers already "rushed off their feet" and in desperate need of more resources to tackle drug and knife crime.

"The level of crime in our area - particularly knife crime - has been staggering and leaves residents feeling concerned for the safety of themselves and their loved ones," she said.

She claimed there was an "epidemic of car vandalism" in White City, with catalytic converters being removed from cars on streets near her home, and friends' cars being stolen, saying busy police rarely followed up.

Conservative west central London Assembly member, Tony Devenish, said axing the scheme removed an incentive for boroughs to invest in front-line officers.

He said: "The Mayor is looking to cut front-line policing while millions more has been spent on crime bureaucrats at City Hall.

"Crime is on the rise and council budgets are stretched. The Mayor must make policing and fighting crime on the streets the priority for 2019," he said.

A council spokesman said: "Hammersmith & Fulham Council currently pays for 46 local police officers – the most council-funded police in the borough’s history and the largest number in London.

"We will never support any measure that cuts police numbers on our streets and call for a re-think. We demand the government halts its huge cuts to London’s police budget."

Police have to deal with some ridiculous 999 calls, too:

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

What are "buy-one-get-one-free" cops?

The scheme launched by former Mayor Boris Johnson presently funds 169.5 officers across 22 London boroughs and the councils pay for the same numbers

The Met is unable to use those extra boots on the ground in critical periods for priority work like violent crime and safeguarding, and doing away with the ring-fencing scheme would take the community cops back into the core force.

They made 760 arrests in their first year by April 2016, targeting local nuisances like illegal ticket touting and disorderly behaviour.

"As our operational demands have grown and overall officer numbers have fallen, the scheme has become difficult to sustain," the Met's spokesman said.

It is in ongoing talks with the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) for a replacement scheme to help councils fund extra officers under different terms.

The Labour council's spokesman blamed the government for the Met's position.

A MOPAC spokesman added: "Mayor Sadiq Khan is investing everything possible into our police - including funding a dedicated Violent Crime task-force of more than 270 officers - but City Hall simply cannot fill the huge gap left by government."